


Morning Breath

by coneofdunshire



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coneofdunshire/pseuds/coneofdunshire
Summary: RPF. It’s the year 2020 and NBC are launching their new streaming service, Peacock. In light of the current pandemic, they want comforting, familiar faces to appear throughout their launch special both in content and in commercials. Amy Poehler never thought she would the day would come where she would be filming a toothpaste commercial of all things, but there was a first time for everything...
Relationships: Amy Poehler/Adam Scott, Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Morning Breath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ava_martini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ava_martini/gifts).



> This is a work of RPF and RPF is not for everyone. I don’t claim to know anything about the current relationship between the two individuals featured beyond what is accessible to everyone via the Internet. 
> 
> I don’t own any individual featured in this one shot, nor do I own NBC, Disney or the ABC. 
> 
> This is for Ava. I have no idea if this is what you originally had in mind but I hope you enjoy it!

“The network has requested you specifically. They want a pair of familiar faces to provide some extra comfort during the upcoming election season, especially now, given the current state of affairs. It’s a commercial scheduled to air on their new streaming service, Peacock. Thirty second spot, prime time, with a percentage of the sales from the product you’ll be selling going to Feeding America. Items featured are essential and x amount of units of product will be donated. It’s all very altruistic.” 

“Mmmmmm,” Amy said distractedly, putting her phone on charge as she entered her office. Able and Archie were with their father for the week and she had really hoped to achieve a lot in their absence. She loved her boys more than anything but time spent with them wasn’t necessarily conducive to getting work done. She had left her phone at home by accident and returned to half a dozen missed calls. Ordinarily she wouldn’t have returned them right away however two of them were from one of her favourite people in the world and Mike Schur’s calls did not go unreturned if you knew what was good for you. “Go on.”

Mike shook his head at Amy through the phone, knowing all to well he only had fifty percent of her attention. “All of the majors will be included. Mariska, Kristen. They’re asking Andy Samberg to do something. Everyone is donating their time, with their appearance fee going straight to charity. It’s need to know but they’re planning on showing the Friends reunion to begin their first night of programming and launching these ads at the same time. It’s a huge opportunity Poehler. You would be crazy to say no to this.”

Switching on her laptop, Amy sighed. “It’s not that I don’t think it’s a great idea, I just don’t know if I have the time.”

“Come on,” Mike cajoled. “30 second spot. Half a day of filming. It’s for a great cause. I’ve done some asking around and it looks like Nick is free to film with you.”

Amy perked up immediately at the mention of her current Making It co-star, giving Mike her full attention. “I’m listening.”

Mike laughed. “I should have lead with that, right?”

“Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job...” Amy paused dramatically, typing furiously as she pulled up a script she had been working on. “No. That’s not right. I used to tell you how to do your job all the time.”

“You still do,” Mike deadpanned. “And you’re not even on one of my shows currently. Why is that, by the way?”

“No idea,” Amy admitted. “But I miss it. I miss working with you. And Dean. And Morgan.”

“So what you’re saying is you want to guest star on The Good Place.”

Amy cackled. “Hey, far be it for me to tell you how to do your job...”

The conversation came to a natural end. Mike knew that if he gave Amy a minute to process his request she would inevitably say yes and Amy knew she would too, she just wanted to make him sweat a little before giving him the satisfaction. She loved Mike. He had taken a massive leap of faith with her years ago and she knew she could never repay him for that. Of course she was going to say yes. 

“A thirty second shoot with make up, blocking and rehearsal is going to take more than half a day to shoot,” Amy informed Mike as if he didn’t already know. “It’s a full day. On top of an early start. With a cranky Nick Offerman who hasn’t been out of bed before midday for the past six months.”

“Don’t tell me you’re no longer capable of wrangling Nick back into line,” Mike scoffed, jotting down some notes on the back of an old call sheet. “I seem to remember you being quite adept at it, honestly.”

Amy stopped typing, narrowing her eyes. “I’m more than capable, thank you very much! I just thought it might be nice to remind you of what a cranky bear Nick can be in the mornings. He’s much easier to work with on night shoots. And Megan will probably be there and she can be a handful if Nick isn’t happy...”

“How many episodes?” 

“What?” Amy asked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Poehler,” Mike said warningly. “How many episodes?”

“Three. And I want to be in the Bad Place, not the Good Place. B-storyline is fine, I’d really like a scene with Ted Danson if you can manage it and I want Dean to direct the episodes.” Mike didn’t respond right away and she hesitated. “Too much?”

“Nah,” Mike replied affectionately. “Just enough. I would have given you an A storyline if you had asked for it. Remember, never be afraid-“

“To ask for more than what you’re worth,” Amy finished with a fond smile, remembering all of the times she had heard him say that over the years. “I know. Thanks Mike.”

“Nope, thank you. See you at your 4am call time on Friday!”

He ended the call before she could object and she groaned at what meant a 3am wake up call on Friday morning. Her phone pinged with the shoot details and Amy’s brow furrowed. 

“Toothpaste? We’re making a commercial about toothpaste?!”

He was really lucky that she loved him.

\- - - - - - -  
Amy blinked blearily at the studio doors, extremely thankful she had had the foresight to book herself a car service the night before. Travel mug of coffee in hand she swayed a little on her feet, trying to muster up the energy to go inside. Once upon a time she had been great with early starts. Raising two rambunctious boys and a global pandemic had put an end to that. 

“Ms. Poehler?” A production assistant appeared at Amy’s side, headset on and clipboard in hand. “Can I escort you inside?”

“It’s alright, Melanie. I’ll walk her in.”

“It’s too early,” Amy remarked blithely to Mike as he stepped up beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “And it’s a little cold.”

“And it’s a beautiful morning and we’re going to have a wonderful day and Nick isn’t coming but that’s okay because I’ve found someone as equally as amazing for you to spit in a sink with!”

It took Amy a moment in her sleep deprived state to process what Mike had said. “Nick‘s not coming?” 

“Megan’s not feeling well. He wanted to stay home with her.” Mike squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry. His replacement is on his way.”

Amy stared at Mike for a solid minute. “Did I mention that I wanted my character on The Good Place to have a love interest and an intense, emotionally gratifying death?”

Mike laughed. “Okay. But I promise you’ll be happy with who is coming regardless.”

“I swear to God Mike if one of my ex-boyfriends shows up-“ 

“Ms. Poehler?” Melanie the production assistant had started to hover, evidently under pressure to get the shoot underway. “They’re ready for you in make up.”

“She doesn’t need it,” a familiar voice declared, approaching from behind. “Name me a time when Amy Poehler hasn’t naturally been the most beautiful woman in the room. I dare you.” 

Amy’s jaw dropped and she stared at Mike for a long second before freezing, afraid that what she had heard was a figment of her sleepy subconscious and if she turned around, it would indeed only be a dream. Mike rolled his eyes with a huge smirk on his face, lifting his hand and twirling his ring finger in the air, indicating she should turn around. Amy spun on her heel and let out what could only be described as a squeal, flinging herself at their new arrival with glee. Even as he braced himself to catch her, he underestimated her strength and almost fell backwards, laughing as she practically tackled him to the ground. “Adam!”

“Amy!” He exclaimed back, meeting her level of excitement as his arms slipped around her waist. Regaining his footing, he lifted her clear off the ground and spun her in a tight circle as she laughed. When he finally set her down he pressed his lips to her hair, seemingly reluctant to let her go. “Missed you,” he murmured as finally released his grip, stepping back to properly examine her, clearing his throat. “You’ve finally been sleeping properly. I can tell.”

Amy pretended to be outraged at his accusatory tone. “What? When? You know I don’t have time for something as superfluous as sleep!” 

He grinned, drawing her in once again. “Not working looks good on you. I hope you enjoyed the break. You’ve earned it.”

She made a face at his choice of words. She wouldn’t say she had enjoyed being locked down at home for the past few months but she knew what he meant. “And throughout it all you couldn’t find time to write?”

The hit registered but he took it on the chin. She was right. He was horrible at staying in touch. “Okay. I deserved that.”

“Yeah you did,” she muttered, bristling slightly. “We never see each other anymore.”

“I know.” His expression was momentarily pained and then hopeful. “But I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Ugh,” Amy groaned, conducting her own visual stocktake of Adam. She hated that while she felt as though she looked considerably older that he looked exactly the same now as he did five years ago. “I guess.” 

A mix of hope and uncertainty had settled on his face. “Did you miss me?”

“Every damn minute of every damn day,” she whispered more to herself than to Adam. He pretended not to have heard her as he held out the crook of his arm, encouraging her to take it. Forcing a broad smile, she looped her arm through his before following Mike inside. “I missed you.”

The resounding kiss she felt on her temple brought her back to hundreds of mornings just like this and she smiled, genuinely this time. 

Today had the potential to be a lot of fun.

\- - - - - - - 

“You want me to go topless?”

Amy giggled from her spot under the covers, finding Adam’s conversation with wardrobe particularly amusing. She had finished in make up about an hour ago and they were ready to start marking out their blocking. The commercial opened with Adam and Amy in bed, the latter leaning in for an early morning kiss only to be thwarted by Adam’s supposedly horrible morning breath. Wardrobe had offered her an oversized cleanly cut off the shoulder style tee which could easily pass for a nightgown and allowed her to wear a bralette underneath. She was glad she had been sent the breakdown ahead of time and had known to wear matching underthings. Adam clearly hadn’t received that memo. They were out of her line of sight but she could hear his voice getting slightly agitated at the prospect of appearing without a shirt on screen. He was in relatively good shape for someone his age but that didn’t mean he wasn’t carrying a smidge of extra weight around his middle that he wanted the world to see. 

“Amy?”

Hearing her name, Amy slipped out from underneath the covers and padded over to Adam. He looked at her pleadingly and then back at the wardrobe assistant. “Hi. Can you tell ... Kate,” he added after looking at the young girl’s security pass. “That Ben Wyatt would not not wear a shirt in this situation? He’s a Congressman. There’s hypothetically a camera in his martial bedroom. I think he needs to wear a shirt.”

Amy pretended to seriously consider his argument, holding out her hands to examine the offensive material Adam was proposing he put on for the scene instead of being half-naked. It was a well worn soft cotton tee he had clearly been wearing when he arrived and while she generally loved seeing Adam in them she shook her head, handing it back to him. “No. This doesn’t work. It provides too much coverage. Nipples, Adam. The people are going to want to see your nipples.”

She could see the hint of a smirk on his face before he turned back to Kate. “Okay, ignore her. Just because she likes Dad-bods-“

“Dad-bods are sexy!” Amy interjected with a vigorous nod. 

“-doesn’t mean that the rest of America does.”

“Pawnee was first in friendship and fourth in obesity for a reason!” Amy piped up as Adam shot her another pleading glance. He knew this was payback for not keeping in touch with her more often and he was prepared to text her every damn minute of every damn day if she would just let this go. 

“Can I please... can we please see if there is another option?” Kate nodded as she stepped away to speak into her headset and Adam playfully tapped Amy on the arm as she bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Thanks for nothing!”

“What?” Amy asked, all wide eyed and innocent. “What did I do?”

“Nothing! That’s the problem!”

Amy lost it, a high pitched cackle slipping from her lips at Adam’s indignant expression. She had missed this. The camaraderie they shared on set, being able to joke with each other freely. She knew Adam saw the funny side of it also and was playing up her reactions just a touch but he was right. If she was able to veto the first two wardrobe options she had been shown, one which could have practically classed as lingerie, he should be able to wear a shirt if he wanted. Even if it meant she didn’t get to check him out while they were shooting in bed. “You’re such a baby sometimes. Kate? Do you think we could find an undershirt for Adam? No sleeves, but something that’s a bit more appropriate for a family friendly commercial? Thanks.”

“Thank you,” he said gratefully after Kate had returned with a white undershirt, slipping it over his head. “I owe you one.”

“I’ll add it to the list,” Amy informed him as she turned to make her way back to their stage. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she went, the large curls make up had styled to imitate Amy’s early morning bed head bouncing as she walked away. The long tee they had dressed her in inched up as she walked and Adam stifled a groan as he saw the curve of her ass covered in a white cotton boy-short with tiny red hearts. Their characters had only had a couple of scenes in bed on the show and it had been a long time since he had been this physically close to her. Not hearing his footsteps behind her, she turned, shooting him an unintentionally sultry smile. “Are you coming?”

They had always been playful with each other and there was nothing that surprised him when it came to Amy anymore so he knew the double entendre was on its way before she delivered it. Two can play at this game, he thought, making a show of adjusting the sweat pants he had yet to remove. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip. “Don’t be such a stiff Adam. Come and get into bed.”

The sudden red hue to her cheeks indicated she wasn’t entirely unaffected by his actions and he chuckled to himself. He had the feeling this was going to be a hard shoot, for multiple reasons.

“Coming, dear.”

\- - - - - - - 

When the network realised the shoot was no longer going to include Nick, but Adam they had practically jumped for joy. Being able to reunite one of their most adored couples was a massive coup for them and Mike had found himself completing a flurry of rewrites that completely changed the tone of the piece. This was a prime time special which meant they couldn’t be too risqué, but this was Ben and Leslie. The time to push the envelope was now. 

“Okay people. Let’s get started.”

“Dean!” Adam and Amy’s shared exclamation at seeing their former Parks director put a smile on everyone’s face as they trickled off set, Mike, Dean, two camera operators and the on-screen talent remaining. 

“Alright you two,” Dean chuckled. “Keep it in your pants.” He considered the scene in front of him and stifled a grin. Amy was already under the covers on camera side and Adam was shedding his sweats in the corner before he slid in beside her. “Um. Poor choice of phrasing. Let’s begin.”

It took a while to get the lighting set up just right as Dean moved Adam and Amy into place. “Amy, you’re facing us please. Both hands above the covers. Adam, an arm over her waist? I need you close together but the camera also has to find negative space so that we can keep our PG-13 rating. Amy will wake up to camera and turn into Adam for a good morning kiss, only to be repelled by his horrible morning breath. Then we’ll move to the bathroom.”

“I think we need to exit with another bedroom shot,” Mike called from his chair. “Reinforce for the advertisers that the product works.”

Dean snapped his fingers. “Good thinking. Where does that leave us for time?”

Dean walked back toward Mike as Adam tried to make himself comfortable on the bed, pulling the covers up to his waist. Amy rolled over with her back to him to allow him to figure out his marks, both hands above the covers as directed. She heard Adam swore as he became tangled in the sheets and snickered. “Geez, Adam.”

He paused immediately, deja vu hitting him like a tonne of bricks. She had said those exact words to him, with that exact inflection in front of their wildflower mural during filming of Ben and Leslie’s wedding announcement years ago. Ignoring the keening feeling it awoke in his chest, he laid down behind her and carefully laid his arm across her waist. She stiffened minutely, unprepared for the feel of his hands on her near naked blanketed body before relaxing as he moved his mouth to her ear. “This okay?”

“Y-yes.”

“Adam, Amy? We’re ready to light the next sequence. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Please tell me you actually brushed your teeth this morning,” Amy murmured before rolling over. “You know how I feel about unnecessary smells.”

Adam scoffed. “Of course I did. I’ve read your book. You’ve read me your book. Adam always has fresh breath for kissing scenes. I wouldn’t dare make a liar out of you.”

She laughed and tried to relax as Adam figured out where to put his other hand as she lay facing him. One was still settled on her hip but the other needed to be above the covers and not impeding Amy’s chest. “This is awkward.”

Amy’s eyes danced as she shuffled a tiny bit closer. “A little bit. All those years of marriage and Ben and Leslie are finally getting frisky on camera for the first time in a toothpaste commercial. Do you think it’s got fluoride in it?”

“Lord, I hope not. We’ve already been drinking all that H2Flow.” 

They shared a smile and suddenly the ice between the two appeared appeared to be broken. Adam’s hand found a home on the pillow under his head and his fingers rested naturally on her hip. Amy took the chance to run her fingers through his tousled hair, not used to seeing it so unkempt. Make up had gotten a little too creative with the brief she thought to herself. Adam didn’t just have bed head. He looked like he had been throughly ridden and put away wet.

“That feels nice,” Adam mumbled as his eyes drifted shut. “Do you think you could just keep doing that today? Would anyone mind?”

“I feel like someone might object,” she teased. “Wake up. We need to figure out how we’re playing this. How do you want me to ... ah ... wake you up?”

“Um,” Adam hummed as her nails scratched lightly against his scalp. “How would Leslie usually wake Ben up?”

“By jumping on top of him and kissing him senseless?”

Adam’s eyes opened slowly and he laughed. “You’re right. That wouldn’t really work in this scenario.”

Amy paused for a second and removed her hand from Adam’s hair, bringing it down to her side. “What about this?”

Amy leaned in slowly, nudging her nose against his. He smiled softly, tilting his mouth towards hers and she began to lower her lips to his before visibly recoiling in horror at Adam’s alleged bad breath. Lifting her palm to her mouth she breathed into her hand, hoping to make it apparent that she was checking her own bad breath and her eyes widened in horror.

“That was great Amy,” Dean called from the monitor. “Could you maybe wait until the cameras start rolling please?”

“Sorry Dean,” she called back, shifting and somehow accidentally closing the gap between herself and Adam, her leg colliding with and then falling in between his. “Shit,” she said a bit more quietly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adam said lowly, shifting his hips just enough to put as much space between Amy and his pelvis as possible. He hadn’t been messing with Amy earlier. Years ago he had conditioned himself not to have a physical response to her as Leslie but whatever luck he had had then had most definitely run out. “At least you shaved your legs this morning.”

“It’s important to be well groomed,” she noted, her fingertips ghosting his jawline. “I liked the beard. You should’ve kept it.”

“It was getting a little ... itchy,” Adam said, tongue swiping out to wet his lower lip. “And hard to maintain.”

“Really?” Amy hid a smirk, recalling their interaction in wardrobe earlier. A swipe of the tongue may seem innocent to some but she wasn’t silly. When it came to being crude Adam liked to think he had her beat but Amy always prided herself upon having the upper hand when she was able. She knew exactly what he was playing at. “I’ve never found beards to be itchy. I find they burn really pleasantly between my thighs.”

Amy quickly switched directions and turned back to face Dean as he approached the edge of the bed. She could hear Adam spluttering and coughing behind her as he choked on absolutely nothing and buried her face in her pillow to hide her laughter. 

“Adam?” Dean asked with concern. “Are you okay?”

“F-fine,” Adam managed before repeating himself, willing himself to display some level of professionalism. “I’m fine. I’m ready.”

“Yeah,” Amy muttered just loud enough for him to hear. “I bet you are.”

It took everything in him not to aim a sharp swat at her shapely bottom as he lay down behind her and Dean called for quiet on the set. 

Amy would be the death of him, he was sure. 

\- - - - - - -  
The first sequence came together relatively quickly, the pair falling back into their characters easily. Leslie and Ben enjoyed a sweet snuggle before Leslie decided to wake her husband up with a kiss, only to be completely repelled by their morning breath. They definitely had fun with it. Knowing that they both actually had fresh breath made it harder as each time Amy as Leslie nuzzled Adam as Ben she had to force herself to not engage in an actual kiss. She knew he was struggling as well. In the final take he had accidentally started sucking lightly on her lower lip out of habit as his fingers tightened their grip on her side. Thankfully she had the presence of mind to pull away before it had gotten out of control but a part of her wished she didn’t have too.

She had missed this. Being Leslie. Being with Adam. She was glad that Mike had asked her to do this. 

It was nearing noon as they took their places at their twin sinks. Amy’s skin looked suitably flushed, her hair a tousled mess she thought wryly as she looked into the mirror. Their sinks were so close together that her shoulder was touching Adam’s and she could tell he was struggling with the air conditioning as cold as it was, his thin undershirt failing to disguise his pebbled nipples. 

“Let’s do one more take of the actual brushing,” Dean called. “Face to camera, a quick glance at each other, brushing, a clean spit take and then big smiles back to me.”

“Hey, are you okay?” Amy asked Adam out of the corner of her mouth. “Are you cold? We could get them to turn up the heat.”

He shook his head with a pained grimace. “It’s not the temperature. Your... your nightgown has ridden up. It’s a little... distracting.”

“Oh? Oh!” She exclaimed quietly, glancing over her shoulder and tugging down her shirt which was up around her lower back. “You could have said something!”

“What and have everyone know I’ve been staring at your ass?” He joked. “No thanks. Definitely opting to suffer in silence over that one.” He was quiet for a beat. “No one saw anything. I made sure I was behind you the entire time.”

“Ever the gentleman,” she grinned. “Aren’t you sweet?” 

“Me? Heck no.” His next words came rushing out with a wink. “That’s all Ben. I’ve been wanting to smack those round, barely covered cheeks since you walked away from me earlier.”

Amy’s cheeks turned yet another shade of pink. “Only if you kiss it better after.”

They turned at the sound of Mike clearing his throat. “I know it’s been a while for both of you but the camera is still rolling. Would you like to continue flirting with each other or can we get this shot and go to lunch?”

“We’re good,” Adam said hastily, the pair looking suitably chastised as Mike and Dean exchanged looks of bemusement. “Sorry.”

“Okay then,” Dean drawled. “F2C, glance, brush, spit, smile.”

“Remember to spit, Adam,” Amy murmured cheekily. “As fun as it is, you don’t always have to swallow.”

Adam began to splutter for the second time that day. “Poehler, I swear to God...”

“Quiet on the set. Action!”

It was another half an hour before Dean was happy with what he saw. The majority of the takes were fine, the leads in and back ends were a different story. Between the looks the two kept sharing, the giggling and Adam’s physical reactions to Amy hollowing out her cheeks before she spat out her toothpaste, he was grateful when it was time for them to break. Turning to Mike he sighed. “If Nick was here, we would have been done by now.”

“If Nick was here we would be done but the end result wouldn’t be as nearly as good,” Mike countered. “They’re a handful, but no one makes Amy light up like Adam does.”

“You’re right,” Dean agreed. “I don’t recall them ever being this bad on the set of Parks.”

Mike laughed, clapping a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “Then that’s a mighty impressive level of repressing you’ve achieved there Deano. Let me buy you a coffee and I can tell you all about Amy’s upcoming arc in The Bad Place...”

Dean groaned, knowing what was coming. “Oh good. I can’t wait.”

\- - - - - - -  
“Did you hear Oral B and Queen Latifah are making a toothbrush together? It’s called clean-ya-teefah.”

Amy cackled at Adam’s joke, reaching over to steal one of his grapes. They were hiding out on set having their lunch, sitting down facing the wall with their backs against the bed. “I like that one. It’s funny. What is six inches long, fits in your mouth and is more fun when it vibrates?”

Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m not falling for that one. It’s a toothbrush.”

“You’re no fun.”

He shrugged in response. “Hey, it’s not my fault I have more than six inches to work with.”  
Amy opened her mouth to reply and promptly closed it again. “You were going to set me up! I think you’ve had enough fun at my expense today already, don’t you?”

Amy sighed, resting her head against Adam’s shoulder. “Not even close. But it has easily been the most fun I’ve had in a while.” 

He offered her the rest of his grapes which she declined. They finished the rest of their lunch in silence, Amy having slid a pair of shorts on with what was passing as her night shirt. Adam was about to excuse himself to go to the bathroom when Amy decided she couldn’t take it any longer. 

“How come we don’t talk anymore?”

Adam closed his eyes. He had known this was coming. He had hoped to avoid answering it as long as possible and so far so good. They had fallen back into their natural rhythm so easily, the chemistry they had shared on Parks and in real life was definitely still there. He had been the one to stop making himself so available to her and he knew he had hurt her. He owed her an explanation if nothing else.

“We used to spend time together outside of work and I knew that I could always pick up the phone and call you if I needed too-“

“- I know. I pulled away, without telling you why and I’m sorry. It’s honestly my fault. We were really close, Amy,” Adam said quietly, looking anywhere but at her. “Really close. To the point where it started to upset people. People who were important to me and that I wanted to try and make things work with. So I did the asshole thing and stopped replying to messages. Stopped taking all of your calls. Not because I wanted too, but because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I was told it was the right thing to do and stupidly, selfishly I listened. I tried to save something that couldn’t be saved and I lost my best friend in the process.”

“You didn’t lose her,” Amy offered. “You just... really pissed her off.”

Adam’s mouth quirked. “You thought I was talking about you? Awkward.” Amy lifted her head from his shoulder and glared at him. “Kidding. I’m kidding.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

“No,” he agreed as she laid her head back down. “It wasn’t. Do you know what an emotional affair is?” Her hesitant nod indicated she did and he continued. “For the longest time, I feel like that’s what we were doing. At least for my part. We might not have realised it but we always, without question, turned to each other. Our relationship became a romantic relationship, even if we never crossed the line into something physical. I know now that I have always been a little bit in love with you. A little piece of me still is and probably always will be in love with you.”

If she was surprised by his admission, she didn’t show it. “But...” 

“But I was married. And I had responsibilities and promises I had made and I took the coward’s way out of not explaining any of this to you. I ran. I’m not here to ask for your forgiveness. I’m prepared to earn it. I want to be a part of your life again. If you’ll let me.”

He lifted her hand in his and she allowed him to take it. “When did you figure all of this out?”

“I’ve had a lot of time recently to think. Leslie said to Ron once, if it was truly the end of the world she would want to be with Ben. He said that was significant. I suppose this pandemic has put a lot of things into perspective. If the world was to end tomorrow, the one I would never forgive myself if I didn’t get to see, would be you.”

“And that‘s ... significant?” 

“To me?” Adam responded honestly. “Yes.”

“I’ve missed you,” Amy said suddenly. “I’ve missed being able to joke with you, being able to call you, being able to hang out with you. I’ve missed working with you. But mostly I missed having you in my life. Of having the option to do all of those things. I don’t like that you made that choice for me.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have done that. I had no right to take that choice away from you. Not without talking to you first.”

Amy nodded slowly. “Was there genuinely friction in your marriage because of me?”

“Yes and no. None of it was your fault. It’s important to me that you know that. Yes because our relationship was where the cracks maybe started to form? But no, because I’m an adult and I chose to conduct myself that way. None of that is your fault,” he repeated. “Okay? Amy?”

“Yeah.” The shaky smile she gave him meant she understood he felt that way, even if she didn’t quite believe it. “I know.”

They fell silent for another stretch before Adam released Amy’s hand. “We have to get back soon. I need to go to the bathroom. Can I help you up?”

She nodded and he stood first, brushing himself off before helping her to her feet. Unbidden, she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. He waited a beat to see if she wanted him to reciprocate the hug and she did, making a noise at him when he hesitated. 

“We need to talk about this a bit more,” she said awkwardly, crushed against his chest as he wound his arms around her. “But this is not the time or the place. Do you have plans tonight?”

“Only if they’re with you,” he said hopefully.

“Yeah. Let’s grab a beer. I think we’ll both need one.”

Reluctantly letting him go she started toward the bathroom with Adam trailing behind her. She understood everything he had just told her though she was both mad and conflicted at how what he had told her made her feel. She knew they couldn’t allow that to affect the shoot and they needed to get back on the same page and quickly.

“Hey Adam? Yesterday I visited the birthplace of the man who invented the toothbrush. There was no plaque.”

He groaned, coming up behind her and grabbing her around the waist as she laughed. “You are actually the worst.”

\- - - - - - - 

“Let’s Fun Run it,” Mike declared irritably as Dean nodded. “We need a kiss, the line to camera and then something cute and clean to close. That’s it. You both need to stop overthinking this. Everyone take fifteen.”

Amy groaned, her head falling back on to her pillow. They had spent the last hour trying to get the last ten seconds of footage shot and nothing was working. Initiating the kiss was easy enough, keeping it PG-13 was another story altogether. Maintaining a suitable amount of negative space between them when she could very clearly feel every part of Adam pressed against her was easier said than done. They needed Amy to deliver the line to camera as she was still a part of NBC programming and although they were thrilled to have Adam back for the day, they didn’t own the ABC where his current show aired. Disney did. He wasn’t able to be their poster boy and Amy couldn’t seem to focus on it enough to get it right.

Adam waited until the set was empty before trying to figure out what was happening. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing?” Amy asked somewhat aggressively. Drawing the sheets to her chest she sat up, mad at herself. “Everything?”

He waited to see if she was willing to elaborate and when she said nothing and continued to simply glare at the floor he pulled himself up into a seated position beside her. “Hey. Talk to me.”

“I’m mad. I’m mad at myself for not being able to get this right and for letting myself get in my own head,” she moaned frustratedly. “I’m better than this.”

“You’re the best,” he replied automatically. The look she shot him was withering and he immediately started to explain himself. “Amy. This is the first time we’ve seen each other in over a year and we’re practically naked in bed together. This is the first real shoot we’ve done together in five years and ordinarily you would have completely schooled me by now. If this was Parks, Ben and Leslie or Adam and Amy would have knocked this out of the park twenty minutes ago. It’s okay that it’s taking us a little longer to get this right. Mike’s right. We’re overthinking it. We need to relax.”

Amy sighed heavily, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”

“No,” Adam replied lowly. “It shouldn’t. But an hour spent rolling around with someone beneath the sheets is enough to get anyone going and I can’t help that after all this time my penis still finds you extremely attractive.” He almost held his breath as he waited to see what her reaction to that comment was going to be. He knew that their lunchtime conversation had thrown her for a loop and they had a lot to sort out between them but that couldn’t happen if they didn’t get through this first. He saw her clench her jaw to try and stop a giggle escape and pressed on. “Also... That’s what she said.”

Giving in, she broke. One giggle turned into a two and the tension in her shoulders started to lessen. “What are you, twelve?”

Adam gestured comically to his groin. “Obviously.”

Amy barked out a sharp laugh and fell back onto her pillow. “Okay. We can do this.”

He laid back down beside her on his side, head propped up with his hand. “We can. How can I help? How do we,” he waggled his eyebrows, “Get the Leslie Knope juices flowing?”

Stealing his line from earlier in the day she arched an eyebrow. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

He winked at her, using his free hand to rub the curve of her side as she mimicked his position. “Let’s try some basic word association. What are some of Leslie’s favourite things?”

“Ben. The Parks department. Waffles. Ann.”

“Keep going.” Adam slid closer to her, the hand previously on her side travelling up to lightly massage the curve of her neck. “What else?”

“Madeline Albright. The triplets. Binders. Scrapbooking. Ron. Pawnee. April.”

Her voice became progressively softer as he cupped her cheek in his hand, skimming her jawline with his thumb. “More.”

“Ben’s hands. Ben’s calves. Ben’s butt.” He captured her lips on the last and her eyes fluttered shut as she allowed him to manoeuvre her head on to the pillow, fingers tangling in her hair. She responded in kind, shifting her hips as he hovered over her, one hand at the base of his neck. He swept his tongue across her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to him, touching her tongue tentatively to his and any hope they had of keeping things under control flew out the window. She could feel his length pressed against her hip as she reached down to grope his ass and she sighed into his mouth, giving into the moment completely. His lips left hers, conscious of the fact that they still had to complete the shoot without looking like they were doing anything beyond sharing a kiss and his hand inched up over her ribcage, fingers grazing the swell of her breast. 

“Two minutes!”

Just like that the spell was broken. Amy’s hands made their way back to her side and Adam dropped his forehead to hers briefly before rolling over to his side of the bed. Both fought to catch their breath, failing to notice Mike sitting in Dean’s chair sipping a coffee. 

“I take it this,” he said gesturing to Amy’s swollen lips and Adam’s flushed face. “Means that we’re good to go? We got everything sorted out?”

Amy groaned. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long. And please, like I haven’t seen Ben and Leslie make out before.” Mike took a purposefully long sip of his coffee before setting it down. “I thought the word association was a good idea, actually.”

Amy groaned again and Adam chuckled as she pulled the covers up over her head. Moments later Dean and the cameraman returned and they prepared to run the scene again. 

“Take a Fun Run. Whatever direction I’m giving clearly isn’t working, let’s have the two of you take a swing at it and see if that helps,” Dean called. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Ready to go, Wyatt?” Amy challenged Adam as they positioned themselves once more, a cheeky smile on her face. 

“I’m ready,” he confirmed, confident they could handle a sweet peck now that they had gotten whatever that was out of their systems. “You got those juices flowing, Knope?” 

“I hate you.”

“You love me,” he countered and she rolled her eyes, knowing he was right. “Hurry up. I could really use that beer right about now.”

Amy agreed readily, now cursing the fact she didn’t have a complete change of clothes including underwear in her bag. “You and me both.”

They got it in two takes. Amy delivered a crisp “Let Colgate Max Fresh worry about your morning breath so you don’t have to!” to the camera before Ben and Leslie nudged noses and shared a sickeningly chaste kiss that would keep everyone including the network happy. 

Dean looked relieved when it was over, Amy sliding out of the bed immediately to grab Adam’s sweats off the floor and put them on. Adam looked at her aghast, knowing she was fully aware there was no way he could leave the bed without mildly embarrassing himself, even with the time they had had to cool down. 

“Amy.”

“Oh, are you having a hard time getting out of bed there, Adam?”

“Amy Meredith Poehler,” Adam said warningly as she cackled at her own joke. “Take those pants off. Now.”

“All right people! We need to break this set down,” a large voice boomed. “ETA on Mr Samberg is five minutes!”

“Whoops!” Amy feigned surprise. “Gotta go! Call me about that beer!”

Adam collapsed back on to the mattress, scrubbing his face with his hands as Amy disappeared from sight, Mike and Dean trailing after her. 

Amy might have solved her issue by stealing his pants but there was no way he was leaving this bed with his dignity intact. 

Great. 

_Just great._


End file.
